*This post is not sponsored or paid for by any entity. It may seem like we are pushing Healthy Choice meals here, but we’re not. This is just something we found and loved on our weight loss journey. You will always be notified before reading a post if it is paid and/or sponsored.
This is the most frequently asked question from blog readers and every day people. I wish I could share something amazing with you, but just don’t have it to share. I cook two meals a day most days and lunch really isn’t one of those meals. I wish I had enough time to make three meals a day. Sometimes I just have to take a short cut and go with convenience. Unless I’m eating leftovers from the night before, I’m eating a Healthy Choice Steamer meal. I try to stay away from processed foods but I’m just too busy to avoid them all. I wish I had enough time to cook every meal from scratch and eat really clean, but there just isn’t enough time in the day. Healthy Choice Steamer meals are just the thing for us.
We have eaten a Healthy Choice Steamer almost every for a year and half. I prefer the steamer meals because they cook up very quickly and they are LOWER in sodium than most other meals…especially in the Healthy Choice product line. Sodium is diet killer but once again the “know it alls” are saying lower sodium intakes aren’t always better. Go with what you want, it’s a personal decision anyway. Science is never absolute and always changes. Next week they could be telling us to pack our diet with added sugar because it keeps us young!
There is a lot of variety in the Healthy Choice Steamer line, plus there is a new addition to the line: meals inspired by Top Chef! We LOVE Top Chef so it’s kind of cool to see winning dishes that look so good made into a healthier version for us to eat on the go.
Subway use to be something I ate every day for lunch until I took a good look at the financial situation behind it. I was spending $5-$6/day at Subway getting a salad and I just wanted to save some money. At our grocery store, the HC steamers are $2.48 which is at least half the price I was spending per day at Subway. I can buy my meals for the week, take them with me to work and save some moolah. Saving the money is important to me because I spend a lot of money on running races. If I can find a way to cut corners to squeeze in another race, I will definitely do it.
Is it enough food? Yes! I do bring some extra veggies to mix in just because I love veggies. I usually have my meal, a small yogurt and an apple. I am a creature of habit. It’s a perfectly portioned meal! I do have one complaint though: there is too much of the starch component in the meals. There is always an overflow of rice or potato in there and I would prefer more on the veggie side. But I’ve already mentioned this several times, I LOVE veggies. (If you don’t follow us on Facebook then you don’t know that I eat a primarily plant-based diet. Lunch is really the only time I do eat meat.)
It is a processed meal, but I think it’s the best of best at a reasonable price. If we all had unlimited time and money we could stay away from certain things, but reality kicks in and life doesn’t work that way. Sometimes I just have to eat processed food because it will work in my life. And look, we still managed to lose the weight and keep it under control eating one of these suckers every day!
Some of my favorite Healthy Choice Café Steamer Meals:
- Kung Pao Chicken
- Orange Zest Chicken
- Turkey and Sweet Potatoes
- Parmesan pasta with Rosemary Chicken
- Crustless Chicken Pot Pie*
- Spicy Chicken*
- Cajun Chicken and Shrimp*
*Willie’s favorite meals
And I have to mention I love all of the 100% natural meals! My least favorite of that line is the Asian potsticker meal.
So how do you make lunch time easier for you? What do you eat for lunch? Do you “brown bag” it or go out for lunch? Is it important to have a convenience meal or a healthy meal at lunch time?
